Washing machine agitator with adjustable vanes



WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR WITH ADJUSTABLE VANES Filed QCL. 10, 1966 Sept. 3, 1968 K. D. SALISBURY ETAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 14 677 D. 544/5502 Ca/ 'ro/v 4. [0 5 By 9&1 0, ATTORNEYS Sept. 3, 1968 K. D. SALISBURY ETAL 3,399,552

WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR WITH ADJUSTABLE VANES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10, 1966 INVENTOR$ (L/Fro 4. C se 1(6/7/4 D. 544/sguxer y & 2 KQATTORNEYS Sept. 3, 1968 K. D. SALISBURY ETAL 3,399,552

WASHING MACHINE .AGITATOR WITH ADJUSTABLE VANES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 10, 1.966

INVENTOR5 K E/n/ D. CL/F'7fl V 4. Case ATTORNEYS nitc States ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable vane agitator including an agitator shell rotatable on an axis and having one or more radially extensible vanes supported thereby. The radial extension of the vanes may be selectively adjusted by manipulation of control rods carried on the agitator shell and movable in an axial direction to vary the degree of washing action caused by oscillatory movement of the agitator.

This invention relates generally to washing machines and more particularly to a washing machine having a rotatable agitator assembly equipped with one or more radially adjustable agitation vanes whereby the degree of agitation to which the laundry liquid and fabrics are subjected can be varied and controlled.

An object of the invention is to provide means for selectively regulating the agitation effect of the agitator while maintaining the speed of rotation or oscillation of the agitator constant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable agitation vane extensible in a radial direction whereby the radial extent and thus the tip speed of the vane can be varied and controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable agitator with one or more adjustable vanes and means for moving the vane rectilinearly radially to adjust the radial disposition of the vane with respect to the agitator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable agitator with a plurality of radially extensible agitation vanes and means for adjusting the radial extent of the vanes simultaneously.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the operator of an agitator type washing machine can quickly and easily adjust the magnitude of the agitation without varying the speed of the agitator.

Another object of the invention is to enable the operator to vary the degree of agitation of the machine by merely turning a knob or the like relatively rotatable member mountedon the agitator.

Yet another object is to enable an operator of an agitator type washing machine to vary the agitation effect of a number of agitation vanes by merely adjusting a single easily accessible and simply operated regulator or control mechanism.

An additional object is to provide a rotatable washing machine agitator having a fixed or stationary agitation vane of a given substantially constant vertical dimension along the radial extent thereof with a radially adjustable vane extension whereby the effective radial extent of the vane can be varied without changing the vertical dimension of the vane along the radial extent thereof. Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of adjusting means movable axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the agitator in order to vary the radial disposition of the agitation vanes.

Another object of the invention involves the provision of means for selectively varying the radial disposition of the vanes and then for locking the vanes in place after they are adjusted.

Patented Sept. 3, F368 Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which preferred structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example only.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical elevational view of a washing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with portions of the various Wall members cut away and other parts shown in section to reveal the relative disposition of various parts of the agitator;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the agitator assembly of the machine of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the agitator taken along line IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional and elevational views, respectively, of an upper portion of the agitator shown in FIGURE 2 but including another embodiment of the agitation vane adjusting mechanism; and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are similar to FIGURES 4 and 5 but illustrate another embodiment of the vane adjusting mechanism.

As shown on the drawings:

Although the principles of the present invention are applicable to a variety of agitation and washing mechanisms a particularly useful application is made to domestic washing machines of the agitator type. An illustrative embodiment of such a washing machine having a vertically disposed agitator and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in FIG- URE 1 and indicated generally at reference numeral 10.

Some of the principle parts of the washing machine 10 include an outer cabinet 11 having a plurality of levelling legs 12 mounted respectively at the four corners of a bottom wall 13 for supporting the machine on a floor or other suitable support member. A hinged door 14 is provided for gaining access into the interior of the machine 10 through a top wall 16 thereof having an access opening formed therein.

Situated within the Washing machine 10 at about the elevational midpoint is a horizontal support wall 17 securely fastened to the walls of the cabinet 11 in order to support a vertically upstanding cylindrically shaped imperforate tub 18. The lower end of the tub 18 is closed by a bottom wall 19 which includes a central portion 20 shaped conically and extending upwardly toward an apex situated on the longitudinal axis of the tub 18.

The upper end of the tub 18 is open and disposed there- Within is a complementarily shaped but somewhat smaller perforate receptacle or basket 21. A bottom wall 22 of the basket 21 is situated in spaced relation to the bottom Wall 19 of the tub 18 and includes a central portion 23 which extends in generally parallel relation to the central portion 21} of the tub wall 19.

The upper end of the basket 21 is also open in order to receive material to be laundered through the top wall 16 of the cabinet 11. During a washing operation the tub 18 receives a quantity of laundry liquid as well as detergents, additives and the like. A shroud 24 overlies the upper ends of the tub 18 and of the basket 21 to facilitate the loading and unloading operations.

During a washing operation the material to be laundered is immersed in the laundry liquid and subjected to a washing action which results from the rapid and turbulent agitation of the material and the laundry liquid within the basket 21.

Such agitation is conferred by an agitator assembly 26 which is disposed within the basket 21 and which, during a washing operation Operates'abOut a vertical axis to impart a scrubbing and rollover action to the material and turbulence to the laundry liquid.

The agitator assembly 26 is oscillated by a vertical drive shaft 27 which extends upwardly from a lower portion of the washing machine through a central aperture 28 formed in the horizontal support wall 17 and into an upstanding cyclindrical sleeve 29 which extends upwardly from the conical po tion 23 of the basket 21. The lower end of the drive shaft 27 is connected to a suitable oscillating mechanism which may preferably be driven by an electric motor.

Referring to the enlarged views of FIGURES 2 and 3, the agitator assembly 26 is more particularly characterized as comprising a tubularly shaped agitator shell 30 which is slipped downwardly in surrounding relation over the drive shaft 27 and the sleeve 29. An upper end 31 of the shell 30 is closed and comprises a downwardly depending concentrically aligned tubular portion 32 having an inner wall 33 shaped to receive a splined upper end 34 of the drive shaft 27 in driving relation. The shell 30 is securely fastened to the drive shaft 27 by means of a suitable fastener such as a threaded bolt indicated at 36.

A bottom end 37 of the shell 30 is open to receive the sleeve 29, and extending radialy outwardly and downwardly therefrom is a skirt 38 formed integrally there with and situate-d in substantialy parallel relation to the conical portion 23 of the basket bottom wall 22.

The actual agitation of thevfabric or other material to be laundered and the laundry liquid is accomplished by one or more agitation vanes which project radially outwardly from the agitator shell 30. The number of agitation vanes may vary and in the exemplary embodiment herein shown there are three vanes spaced from each other 120 circumferentially around the periphery of the agitator shell 30.

In the drawings the agitation vanes are all identical and indicated by reference numerals 40. Each of the vanes 40 comprises a fiat or disc-shaped structure which is relatively thin in horizontal cross-section and which is shaped in a front elevational view in the form of a parallelogram, having two vertical sides 41 and 42 and two other sides 43 and 44 which slope radially outwardly and downwardly in parallel relation with the skirt 38 formed at the bottom of the agitator shell 30.

The vanes 40 are separate, individual structures made of either rigid material such as molded plastic or of elastic or resilient material such as rubber or polyethylene or polypropylene or synthetic rubber material. The bottom side 44 of each of the vanes 40 is supported on the skirt 38 of the agitator shell 30* and the vanes are relatively adjustable with respect to the shell 30.

In order to maintain the vanes 40 in an upstanding position, a plurality of guides 46 are formed on the periphery of the agitator shell 30. Each of the guides 46 comprises a pair of horizontally spaced vertical side walls 47 and 48 which extend upwardly from the skirt 38 and a top wall 49 which slopes radially downwardlyfrom the agitator shell 30 in parallel relation to the skirt 38.

An outer end 50 of each of the guides 46 is open to receive one of the vanes 40, and thus each of the guides 46 forms a guideway into which its corresponding vane 40 can easily slide, being supported from below by the skirt 38.

In FIGURE 1 the vanes 40 are shown in extended positions with respect to the guides 46, that is, with the radially outermost end 41 of the vanes 40 protruding substantially beyond an outermost end of wall 51 of each of the guides 46. In FIGURES 2 and 3 the vanes 40 are shown in retracted positions, that is, with the inner ends 42 thereof in close relation to the periphery of the agitator shell 30.

In the retracted positions of the vanes 40 the outer ends 41 thereof extend just beyond the outer ends 51 of the guides 46. The corners of the vanes 40 as well as the corners of the sides 47 and 48 of the guides 46 are somewhat arcuately shaped to prevent damage to the fabric or the like being agitated.

The guides 46 extend radially outwardly from the agitator shell 30 a distance which is almost equal to the corresponding radial length of the vanes 40 such that when the vanes 40 are in a fully retracted position the agitating effect is accomplished almost entirely by the guides 46 themselves. Thus the guides 46 may be characterized as fixed or stationary agitation vanes as contrasted with the movable vanes 40.

It will be appreciated that means other than the fixed vanes 46 may be provided for radially guiding the movable vanes 40. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, however, the fixed guides 46 also serve as agitation vanes and the movable vanes 40 may be described as providing variable extensions of the fixed vanes 46.

The radial disposition of the movable vanes 40 determines the degree of agitation to which the laundry liquid and fabric material is subjected, assuming a constant rotating or oscillating speed of the agitator assembly 26. If the movable vanes 40 are retracted as far as possible the agitation action is relatively subdued or gentle. However, when the movable vanes 40 are extended as far as possible the agitation action is appreciably more vigorous. Thus, by adjusting the radial disposition of the movable vanes 40, the agitation action can be varied from gentle to vigorous.

In order that the radial disposition of all of the movable vanes 40 can be adjusted simultaneously and in equal incremental amounts by a simple manual adjustment by the operator of the washing machine, a plurality of axially extending flexible control rods 52 are situated in proximately spaced relation to the periphery of the agitator shell 30 and are connected respectively at lower ends 53 thereof to one of the movable vanes 40. Any suitable means may be used for securing the control rods 52 to the vanes 40, such as a heat or adhesive bond as long as there is an inseparable connection between the two. The lower ends 53 of the control rods 52 are bent radially outwardly so that motive forces imposed by the control rods 52 on the movable vanes 40 will be substantially in a direction corresponding to the direction of movement of the vanes 40.

An upper end 54 of each of the control rods 52 is bent outwardly and a terminal end portion 56 is housed in a circumferentialy continuous groove 57 formed in an inner wall 58 of an enlarged lower portion 59 of an adjustment or control cap or sleeve 60.

The cap 60 is essentially cylindrically shaped and is more particularly characterized as comprising a reduced diameter upper portion 61 having a cylindrical inner wall 62 which is threaded complementarily to threads 63 formed on a peripheral wall 64 of the upper end 31 of the sleeve 30.

As the adjustment cap 60 is threaded on the upper end 31 of the agitator shell 30, thereby moving axially with respect to the shell 30, the elongated control rods 52 are also moved axially since the upper terminal ends 56 thereof are disposed in the groove 57. Downward axial movement of the control rod 52 effectively moves the vanes 40 simultaneously radially outwardly while an upward axial movement of the control rods 52 has the effect of moving vanes 40 radially inwardly.

Although the control rods 52 are flexible, particularly at the lower ends 53 thereof, to move into and out of the fixed vanes 46, they must be sufiiciently rigid to sustam a compressive force adequate to urge the movable vanes 40 radially outwardly of the fixed vanes when the control rods 52 are moved axially downwardly.

In order to maintain the control rods 52 in their proper positions along the periphery of the agitator shell 30, a corresponding number of axially extending guide ways 66 are formed on the shell 30 to house the control rods 52 and to prevent them from becoming misaligned circumferentially or from buckling along their axial extent. The guide ways 66 may be formed integrally with the agitator shell 30 and are hollow and slightly oversized with respect to the control rods 52 to permit free axial movement of the control rods while preventing any substantial bending of the rods. Thus, it will be appreciated that the radial disposition of the movable vanes 40 can be easily adjusted by the machine operator merely by rotating the adjustment cap 60 one way or the other depending upon whether a vigorous or gentle agitation action is sought. The vanes 40 are adjusted simultaneously since all of the control rods 52 are moved the same distance as the cap 60 is threaded on the agitator shell 30.

The movable vanes or vane extensions 40 may be made of rigid or flexible material and need not necessarily be sloped downwardly as illustrated but, instead, the configuration of the agitator assembly 26 can be such that the vanes 40 extend horozontally radially outwardly. An important advantage of the agitator assembly 26 of this invention is that it can be installed on existing washing machines of the vertical agitator type which employ an agitator assembly utilizing fixed vanes.

As noted, an important advantage of the present invention is that the washing action of the machine can be varied substantially while maintaining a constant speed of rotation or oscillation of the drive shaft 27. For example, a criterion of washing action or washability is the number of instances per unit of time that a piece of material being washed in an agitator-type washing machine rises from the bottom of the basket 21 to the top of the laundry liquid and rolls over to descend again to the bottom of the basket. With the movable vanes 40 fully retracted, the magnitude of rollover may be quite low. Extension of the vanes 40 about half way may result in rollover four or five times as great as in a fully retracted position, and with the vanes 40 in a fully extended position to provide the most vigorous agitation action, rollover may be in the order of twelve times as great as that in the fully retracted position. Another advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that for a given angular adjustment of the cap 60, all of the movable vanes move simultaneously at an equal distance with respect to their corresponding stationary vanes 46. As a result, not only is the agitation effect provided by each vane changed by the same amount, but also the agitator assembly 26 is more evenly balanced with respect to the radial forces imposed thereon, thus maintaining the washing machine in a more balanced condition.

It should also be appreciated that the radial movement of the vanes 40 is rectilinearly in a direction parallel to the skirt 38. Thus, the vertical dimension of the vanes, including both the fixed vanes 46 and the movable vanes 40, remains substantially constant along the entire radial extent of the vanes regardless of whether the movable vanes 40 are in a fully retracted or extended position or somewhere in between. The agitation effect which results from an extension of the movable vanes 40 has essentially similar characteristics to the agitation which is effected merely by the stationary vanes 46 since the movable vanes 40 do not vary the overall silhouette of the vanes except in so far as the radial extent is concerned.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, wherein parts similar to those shown in FIGURES 1-3, are identified by similar reference characters with the suffix a added, another embodiment of the movable vane adjustment mechanism is shown wherein the adjustment cap 60a is not threaded to the upper portion 31a of the shell 30a but instead has a smooth cylindrical inner wall 61a which telescopes over a smooth outer wall 64a.

An outwardly opening helical groove 67 is formed in the upper portion 31a of the agitator shell 30a and receives a follower pin 68 mounted fixedly on and projecting radially inwardly of the peripheral wall 61a of the adjustment cap 60a. Thus, as the cap 60a is rotated between limiting positions determined by end walls 69 and 70 of the groove 67, the adjustment cap 60a and the vertical rods 52a will move axially at a corresponding distance.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, where the sulfix b has been added to the reference numerals, the inner and outer walls 62b and 64b of the adjustment cap 60b and the agitator shell 30b, respectively, are once again smooth to permit free axial movement therebetween. In this embodiment, a follower pin or protuberance 68b which extends inwardly from the peripheral wall 61b, can be selectively moved into any one of several vertically spaced stops or ledges 69 which are formed in the peripheral wall 64b of the upper end 31b of the agitator shell 30b. Note, that a short axial shoulder 70 prevents an undesired change of position of the adjustment cap 60b by serving as a retainer wall and separating the recesses which comprise the stops 69 from an axially extending groove 71 which communicates the respective stops 69.

Note, also, that in this embodiment the upper ends 54b of the vertical rods 5212 are enlarged or shaped in the form of beads rather than outturned, and the bead is housed in a complemental groove 57b in this instance, as a result of the minimal rotation of the adjustment cap 60b, the vertical rods 52b do not rotate relative to the adjustment cap but instead are firmly :aflixed thereto.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warrented hereon all such modifications as reasonably come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a washing machine,

a drive shaft,

an agitator oscillated by said shaft about an axis,

a plurality of radially extendible vanes engageable with said agitator, and

adjusting means connected to said extendible vanes and movably mounted on said agitator,

said adjusting means being movable axially relative to said agitator for simultaneously adjusting the radial extension of all of said vanes.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 including coopcrating helical groove and pin means formed on said adjusting means and on said agitator for moving said adjustin-g means axially relative to said agitator in response to relative rotation between said adjusting means and said agitator whereby the axial movement of said adjusting means is effected by rotational movement thereof.

3. An agitator assembly for a washing machine comprising:

a rotatable agitator shell having an axis of rotation,

a radially movable vane carried on said shell, and

vane adjusting means carried on said shell and movable axially relative thereto and connected to said vane for moving said vane rectilinearly radially relative to said shell in response to axial movement of said vane adjusting means relative to said shell.

4. The agitator assembly as defined in claim 3, and including at least one additional vane and wherein said vane adjusting means is adapted to move all of said vanes simultaneously rectilinearly radially in response to axial movement thereof relative to said shell in order to adjust simultaneously the radial disposition of all of the said vanes.

5. In a washing machine,

an agitator assembly including a rotatable agitator shell having an axis of rotation,

a plurality of radially movable vanes on said shell, and

vane adjusting means carried on said shell for simultaneously adjusting the radial disposition of all of said vanes,

said vane adjusting means comprising means connected to said vanes and movable axially with respect to said shell for imparting radial movement to said vanes.

6. The washing machine as defined in claim wherein said vane adjusting means comprises first means operatively connected to said vanes and movable axially with respect to said shell for imparting radial movement to said vanes and second means operatively connected to said first means and rotatable with respect to said shell to move said first means axially.

7. The washing machine as defined in claim 6, and including cooperable means on said second means and on said shell 'for guiding the second means in a helical movement with respect to the axis of rotation of said shell.

8. A washing machine comprising:

a receptacle for receiving material to be laundered, and

an agitator assembly in said receptacle comprising:

a rotatable vertical tubular shell,

an agitator vane,

a guide on said shell for guiding said vane in radial movement with respect to said shell, and a control rod connected to said vane and movable axially with respect to said shell to move said agitator vane radially.

9. The washing machine as defined in claim 8, wherein said control rod is flexible and extends along a portion thereof in substantially parallel relation with respect to the axis of said agitator shell.

10. The washing machine as defined in claim 9, including control rod guide means for maintaining said portion of said control rod in parallel relation with the axis of said agitator shell.

11. The washing machine as defined in claim 8, and including:

control rod adjusting means carried on said agitator shell for axial movement therewith and connected to said control rod, and

cooperable means on said control rod adjusting means and on said agitator shell for selectively adjusting the axial disposition therebetween.

12. The washing machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said control rod adjusting means is rotatable relative to said agitator shell and said cooperable means comprises a helical groove and a follower in said groove whereby said control rod adjusting means is movable axially with respect to said agitator shell upon relative rotation therebetween.

13. The washing machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said cooper-able means comprises a plurality of axially spaced stops and a protuberance engageable with said stops.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,796,528 3/1931 Lyons 68134 2,130,542 9/1938 Giddings.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,035,614 4/1953 France.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

